It is difficult to think of Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah as flops. But, the two modern greats are, rightly but harshly, classified as Chelsea flops. De Bruyne left in 2014 and Salah in 2016. Both rebuilt their careers and returned to the Premier League to hound the London club. As a result, when Chelsea signed Brazilian wunderkind Estevao Willian for €34 million plus €23 million in add-ons from Palmeiras in 2024, there were fears that the move had come too early for the then 17-year-old (he joined in 2025, once he turned 18).
The concerns were exacerbated by the case of Endrick, who had joined Real Madrid in 2024 after signing from Palmeiras at the end of 2022. The now 20-year-old striker has shown flashes of his generational brilliance, but has struggled to establish himself in Europe. Therefore, the fear in 2024 was whether the wiry Estevao would face similar issues in the physically demanding Premier League. Soon after the deal was announced, he was asked whether he was worried that he would not be a success at Chelsea, like De Bruyne and Salah. “I don’t know the context; I don’t know how they were,” he said. “I’ll have to find my own place.”
It was celebrated by Chelsea fans on social media as elite mentality. It is possible that he was just too young to remember. But, the mentality is definitely there. During his final season at Palmeiras, he stayed focused and helped the team to the quarterfinals of the 2025 Club World Cup, against Chelsea. He scored a brilliant goal to level the score, showing the fans of his new club exactly what they had bought, before Chelsea went on to win 1-2. He also earned his first Brazil cap in September 2024.
His official debut for Chelsea was as a substitute in the first Premier League game of the 2025-26 season. In the second week, away at West Ham, a late injury to Cole Palmer handed Estevao a start. Midway through the first half, he ran down the right past the West Ham defence and squared the ball for Enzo Fernandez to tap in. At 18 years and 120 days old, that assist made him the youngest player in Chelsea’s history to set up a Premier League goal. Chelsea won 5-1. Then, in the Champions League against Barcelona, he glided past Pau Cubarsi and Alejandro Balde before rifling a rising shot into the roof of the net with his weaker right foot. Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin, watching on BBC, was ecstatic: “Start believing the hype.”
None of it was a surprise to those who had followed his rise in Brazil. Born in 2007 in Franca, Sao Paulo, to a former goalkeeper, Estevao was signed by Cruzeiro youth at 10. He had a boot deal with Nike at the same age. Rodrygo and Neymar only got theirs at 11 and 13, respectively. It was at Cruzeiro that the nickname Messinho—Little Messi—attached itself to him. Palmeiras lured him away in 2021.
Estevao’s first season at Chelsea saw him play 36 times, scoring eight and assisting four. He was unfortunate to miss out on Brazil’s World Cup squad owing to an injury. His game is built on a level of directness that is often trained out of young players to fit European tactics. A high-volume dribbler, he aims for the byline or to cut in on to his left foot with equal frequency, making him harder to contain. Ability with both feet aids his effectiveness in the final third. His clinical shots instinctively use concepts of physics—a subject he disliked in school—to great effect. While he has become a winger now, he is also capable of playing centrally. This will be key at Chelsea this season as manager Xabi Alonso prefers a system with no wingers.
That means the 19-year-old will have to compete with Chelsea talisman Palmer and £117-million signing Morgan Rogers. This led to speculation that he could look for a move away, but there are signs that Estevao remains a part of Alonso’s plans. He just has to force his way into the starting 11 ahead of two bona fide superstars. It will not be easy, but then the path to greatness seldom is.
